Brideshead Revisited DVD Giveaway

Burbank, Calif., October 17, 2008—A provocative story of love, power, and betrayal featuring a riveting performance by two-time Academy Award® Winner Emma Thompson, Brideshead Revisited arrives on DVD on January 13, 2009 from Miramax Films Home Entertainment. Based on Evelyn Waugh’s much-loved novel of the same name, Brideshead Revisited DVD debut includes deleted scenes and a behind-the-scenes look into the film’s acclaimed recreation of the decadent world of British aristocracy.

Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode), a young man of modest means but considerable ambition, has just begun his studies at Oxford University, when he encounters flamboyant aristocrat and fellow student Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw). Infatuated with his new friend’s hedonistic lifestlye, Charles eagerly accompanies him to the family’s opulent mansion, Brideshead, where he becomes entranced by the eccentric clan and the palatial 18th century estate. But when Charles falls for Sebastian’s beautiful sister Julia (Hayley Atwell), his friend reacts with jealousy and the siblings’ domineering mother, Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson), rules out the possibility of marriage for reasons of class and religion. As Charles becomes further involved with the Marchmain family, he realizes that at Brideshead, everything
comes at a price.

BONUS FEATURES
• The World of Brideshead—Invites viewers to go behind the scenes with the cast and crew of Brideshead Revisited as they reveal the painstaking attention to detail required to capture the lavish world of British aristocracy between the wars.
• Audio Commentary—Feature commentary with director Julian Jarrold, producer Kevin Loader and screenwriter Jeremy Brock.
• Revealing Deleted Scenes—With optional commentary by director Julian Jarrold, producer Kevin Loader and screenwriter Jeremy Brock.

GreatDad Contest

Win a Brideshead Revisited DVD. To enter the contest, simply tell us what you think is the funniest children’s poem you have ever read. Send in your answers using the comment form below. Last date for entries is January 15, 2009.

“My father was a Brownie, Sir;
My mother was a Fairy.
The notion had occurred to her,
The children would be happier,
If they were taught to vary.“The notion soon became a craze;
And, when it once began, she
Brought us all out in different ways—
One was a Pixy, two were Fays,
Another was a Banshee;“The Fetch and Kelpie went to school
And gave a lot of trouble;
Next came a Poltergeist and Ghoul,
And then two Trolls (which broke the rule),
A Goblin, and a Double—“(If that’s a snuff-box on the shelf,”
He added with a yawn,
I’ll take a pinch)—next came an Elf,
And then a Phantom (that’s myself),
And last, a Leprechaun.

It's Dark in Here by Shel Silverstein
I am writing these poems
From inside a lion,
And it's rather dark in here.
So please excuse the handwriting
Which may not be too clear.
But this afternoon by the lion's cage
I'm afraid I got too near.
And I'm writing these lines
From inside a lion,
And it's rather dark in here.

My favorite is a poem by Bruce Lansky called Oh, Woe Ith Me! It's about a bike accident that causes the author a bit of a lisp. This calls for a very theatrical reading. The last line is:
My bike ith wecked,
I've no excuthe.
And wortht of all,
my tooth ith looth.
The whole poem in available online at poetry4kids on the web (ah, the wonders of Google).

The goops they lick their fingers,
the goops they lick their knives.
They spill their broth on the tablecloth,
Oh! they lead disgusting lives.
The goops they talk while eating,
and loud and fast they chew,
that's why I'm glad that I am not
A goop--are you?

This one!!
Sick
by Shel Silverstein
"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more--that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke--
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

Sick
by Shel Silverstein
"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more--that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke--
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

Breakfast in Bed by Ken Nesbitt....My kids love this also.
This morning I made my mom breakfast in bed.
I tried to be careful, but burnt all the bread.
I tried to make sure that the coffee was hot,
by boiling the bit left in yesterday's pot.
I charred a few pancakes, potatoes, and grits.
The sausage, I seared into smoldering bits.
I made her some muffins like miniature coals,
and roasted a package of cinnamon rolls.
I scorched several servings of hamburger hash,
and microwaved bacon until it was ash.
I blackened a bagel, which started to smoke.
The smoke alarm sounded. My mother awoke.
I think she was panicked. She looked up in dread.
I proudly presented her breakfast in bed.
She grimaced, then silently counted to ten,
and asked me to never make breakfast again.

My daughter's first part in a Christmas play at church:
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas,
Merry Christmas one and all.
Did you think I might forget it
Just because I'm kinda small?
over 30 years ago....

Here's my original poem for my kids wh like scary stuff.
Little Bo Peep
has lost her vampire sheep
and doesn't know where to find them
Leave them alone and they will come home
dragging their victims behind them

The Cow Town Ballet
This here is the story of Jed Beaudelay,
who once was the head of the Cow Town Ballet,
the greatest of all of the old western sights,
for Jed would take milk cows and dress them in tights.
In tutus and slippers his cows would sashay,
they'd spin pirouettes, they'd glissade and pli�.
And cowpokes from Boston to Monterey Bay
would journey to Cow Town to see the ballet.
And every night how his cattle would dance!
They'd act out a musical cattle romance,
with skill and precision, with grace and with flair,
they'd glide 'cross the stage and they'd leap through the air.
And when it was over the cowpokes would cheer
and even the manliest men shed a tear
for nowhere on Earth but the Cow Town Ballet
had anyone ever seen cattle sashay.
Old Jed Beaudelay would still run the ballet,
if not for the fact that when cattle sashay,
and all of their tutus are flapping around
their costumes make sort of a shuffling sound.
And some no-good cowpoke, on hearing that sound,
grew rather unhappy; he stopped and he frowned,
then ran to the sheriff, deciding to tattle,
so Jed was arrested for rustling cattle.

Bear In There by Shel Silverstein
There's a Polar Bear
In our Frigidaire--
He likes it 'cause it's cold in there.
With his seat in the meat
And his face in the fish
And his big hairy paws
In the buttery dish,
He's nibbling the noodles,
He's munching the rice,
He's slurping the soda,
He's licking the ice.
And he lets out a roar
If you open the door.
And it gives me a scare
To know he's in there--
That Polary Bear
In our Fridgitydaire.

A great dad himself, Armin speaks not only as a specialist in parenting, but as a parent himself.
Hailed by Time Magazine as "the superdad's superdad," Armin Brott has been building better fathers for more than a decade. As the author of six bestselling books on fatherhood, he's helped millions of men around the world become the fathers they want to be—and that their children need them to be.
He has written for The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, American Baby, Parenting, Child, Men's Health, The Washington Post, and dozens of other major publications and websites.
Armin has been a guest on hundreds of radio and television shows, including Today, CBS Overnight, Fox News, and Politically Incorrect, and his work on fatherhood has been featured in such places as Glamour, Time, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Newsday, and many others.
Armin is the host of "Positive Parenting," a weekly radio program which airs in the San Francisco Bay Area and a number of other markets. He also does the "DaddyCast" podcast. As a trusted spokesperson, Armin speaks on fatherhood around the country and teaches classes for expectant and new dads. Armin lives with his wife and three children in Oakland, California.

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